Is there official word on where Slate stands on "Right to Repair"?

[Blackspots76]

One of the interviews I saw at the launch stated slate university support for anything other than high voltage work.

I am hopeful but waiting for the fine print. Restricted repair rights or difficulty of repair has kept me out of the new car market for a long time now. Both my vehicles are over 20 years old, and I need something newer in better shape.

I’m excited and cautiously optimistic.

Repair work on high voltage systems should be done by a qualified individual.

Well after educating myself on EV batteries the old measurement of miles isn't the deciding factor, charging is.

The Slate battery should be good for 2000 charges if managed properly. Only charging to 80% goes a long way in preserving an EV battery and letting it discharge as much as possible before recharging is also a good idea.

Size also matters. It's the 2000 charges that's important, not battery size. So I would much rather charge a 240 mile battery 2000 times versus 2000 times on a 150 mile battery.

So instead of,"how many miles" we need to start asking "how many charges"

Even if with the 150 mile pack, if you do 0-100% that's 300,000 miles. And "2000 charges" is where the battery reaches 80% of its original capacity. (or 180,000 miles as another said). The extended range battery would be 480,000/288,000 miles. People rarely keep their cars for that many miles.

 

[slateya]

I am a qualified individual.

 

[Blackspots76]

I am a qualified individual.

Are you?

 

[E90400K]

Brakes, suspension, steering, tires. Maybe CVs and wheel bearings. That’s it.

And none of that is really affected by "right to repair" law. Who "DIYs" tires?

 

[skidoofast]

Well after educating myself on EV batteries the old measurement of miles isn't the deciding factor, charging is.

The Slate battery should be good for 2000 charges if managed properly. Only charging to 80% goes a long way in preserving an EV battery and letting it discharge as much as possible before recharging is also a good idea.

Size also matters. It's the 2000 charges that's important, not battery size. So I would much rather charge a 240 mile battery 2000 times versus 2000 times on a 150 mile battery.

So instead of,"how many miles" we need to start asking "how many charges"

I am also new to EVs

a question I have that I might be able to get an answer from you tube is

I know believe supercharging is hard on batteries, is a lower charge rate easier on them, can you program the charge rate the vehicle takes

example, I’m at home and I know I’m leaving at 8am so if the car can start charging at 10pm and stop at 8am can a person program it to charge slower over that whole time and would that make a difference

 

[DangerRuss]

can you program the charge rate the vehicle takes

?

You definitely can on Level 2. Can you on a SC, I don't think so. Interesting question. Of course if the thermal management is done right, it shouldn't make much difference. Also, SC is far more expensive than charging at home. Most folks would only be doing that on a roadtrip. Though some folks can't charge at home (that problem is clearly solvable in time).

 

[Benjamin Nead]

Back in the 1970s, when I was a kid and just getting acquainted with cars of the day, everyone and his brother seemed to have a VW Beetle. These cars were simple enough that many took it upon themselves to be their own mechanics. Beyond factory authorized repair manuals and aftermarket books written in a similar technical fashion (Chilton's, etc.) one could also find a particularly good VW repair guide crafted in a quirky style by a retired aerospace engineer-turned-hippie named John Muir . . .

The Idiot Book, as it was fondly called, had detailed mechanical procedures outlined with serious specificity, but with humor injected in places where one would least expect it. There were no photographs but, instead, beautifully detailed illustrations by artist Peter Aschwanden.

The Idiot Book is still available as reprint and is probably purchased today as a memento of a time gone by, more so than someone referencing ignition timing or the rebuilding of a carburetor. If you want to be authentic, you'll probably insist on the slightly larger spiral bound copy - just like the one you had back when Jerry Ford was in the White House - minus the oil stained fingerprints on every page.

All the good self-taught VW wrench-turners I knew back then (many of us drove cab for a living, hung out during off hours and worked on these cars for fun and/or profit, or simply to help out friends) would always consult one of the "serious" or "official" repair manuals first, but always referred to The Idiot Book for things to watch out before embarking on an unfamiliar procedure.

The Slate EV Truck is very different from a classic VW Bug. While both can be described as "simple," vehicles, that's a relative term when comparing a gasoline internal combustion engine car of 60 years ago to a modern battery electric one. Phraseology such "Right to Repair" will mean different things to different people when it comes to, say, hooking up a computer to an ODB2 port in an attempt override odometer readings or to defeat federally-mandated backup camera's display.

I know that Slate themselves is going are institute something called Slate University, an online tutorial database that I assume will take viewers through a lot of basic procedures: from changing a tire safely, to removing/installing a seat without setting off an airbag sensor. My guess, though, is it will initially put a greater emphasis on things like how to apply a new color wrap, or swapping one 3D printed tail light cover for another. Forums like this one may become the modern day equivalent of the Idiot Book when it comes to installing and configuring aftermarket accessories that I assume will appear on the marketplace when (hopefully) a lot of Slates are out there.

 

[Dorbiman]

Are you?

I definitely am. BEV certified for repair and troubleshooting high voltage systems in HD trucking. I’d like access to the information on MSDs and proper LOTO/cutloop procedures. The information should be shared imo. Withholding information doesn’t stop people from doing repairs, it makes it more dangerous because there’s no official documentation.

 

[The Weatherman]

I am also new to EVs

a question I have that I might be able to get an answer from you tube is

I know believe supercharging is hard on batteries, is a lower charge rate easier on them, can you program the charge rate the vehicle takes

example, I’m at home and I know I’m leaving at 8am so if the car can start charging at 10pm and stop at 8am can a person program it to charge slower over that whole time and would that make a difference

The short answer to your questions is: Yes!

It will be up to the vehicle OEM. Is Slate going to deliver those control features to their vehicle, we don’t know yet.

The MY2022-2024’s Ford Lightnings charging software is being updated with those features, as I write this. It was included in the MY2025 vehicles.

 

[Swinefuzz]

I figure by the time this battery wears out there will be a new battery technology that will drop right in to replace it. I’m looking at this being the last truck I ever buy. And I’m in my 40s.

The press announcements regarding EV battery and/or charging technology advancements occur hourly these days. Every company working in the EV sector is working on this stuff because they all want to lead and dominate and sell, sell, sell. In 10 yrs, they'll have replacement batteries that will be smaller, lighter, cheaper, safer and rangier than anything we can probably imagine right now. If they can convert classic cars to EV now, they'll have no problem upgrading an EV.

But then I'm being optimistic. That's gone wrong before.

 

[slateya]

In 10 yrs, they'll have replacement batteries that will be smaller, lighter, cheaper, safer and rangier than anything we can probably imagine right now.

I have a fairly big imagination. Hope some great energy storage devices get made soon.